e-News October 2012

M E N - T S E E - K H A N G e - N e w s

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OBITUARY

Men-Tsee-Khang staff and students express profound grief on the sad demise of its 9th Director, Mrs. Rinchen Dolma Rechung la. She served as the Director of the Institute from

June 1993 to 1 July, 1994 and has contributed all her efforts in the development of the organization during her short tenure.

She passed away on 26 October, 2012 at 6 p.m. in Gangtok, Sikkim. Men-Tsee-Khang staff and students offered prayers on 27 October at 3.30 p.m in the prayer hall.

We send our sincere condolences to her family members.

COURSES / SEMINARS

Menrampa Chungwa Degree Course

Tibetan Medical & Astro. College

conducted the Promotional Menrampa Chungwa Degree Course for a period of one month from 3 October, 2012.

The 11 batch of Medical doctors (Kachupa Degree holders) who graduated in 2001 joined the promotional course. There are 23 doctors in the 11th batch of Medical doctors and 14 appeared for the course.

The instruction on the courses were given by Dr. Tenzin Thaye- Pharmacy Department & Visiting Physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Dr. Tenpa Choephel - Principal, Tibetan Medical & Astro. College; Dr. Pema Dorjee - Retd. Former Advisor of Sorig Literary Research, Clinical Research & Translation Deptts. and Dr. Tsewang Tamdin Chairman of the Medical & Astro. Council & Visiting Physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Tibetan Medicine Course in English - Dharamsala

A ten day intensive course on Tibetan medicine was organized by the Tibetan Medical & Astro. College from 16 October to the 25 October, 2012. Most of the

Menrampa Chungwa degree course

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October 2012News

attendees previously participated in the basic and advanced courses given in Ladakh in 2011.

In order to further develop their understanding, the participants requested the College give an intensive course on Tibetan medicine which Dr. Carles Amengual coordinated for the group.

The course includes a general introduction to diagnostic techniques, different types of pulse and urine examination as well as practical application in the clinic, introduction and identification of medicinal plants, types of mild therapies, medicinal compounding in Tibetan medicine and medicine buddha meditation. Around 10 participants joined the course from England, Mexico, Spain, Hungary and Germany. There were 12 doctors, one astrologer and a philosophy lecturer as the resource speakers.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

Talk on Unani Medicine Dr. Maha Hashem from Arabia gave a talk on traditional Unani Medicine practiced in Arabia to the students and doctors of Tibetan Medical & Astro. College on 3 October, 2012. She gave an Introduction to the Unani system of medicine and its practices, which originated from Greece.

She said that this system was based on the teachings of Hippocrates (father of Unani

medicine) and Galen. Arabs introduced Unani medicine in the 12th Century which was then influenced by Persian and Iranian physicians. It was passed through stages of development in India. There are different schools of Unani medicine followed in Persia, Arabia and India.

According to the Unani medicine proper function of the body is based on seven elements. Elements are the primary components of the human body. Unani medicine speaks of four

humors and the diagnosis is done through pulse, urine and stool examination. She also said that some diagnosis is done by blood but this was not practiced so much these days. The talk also highlighted the various treatment methods and external therapies practiced in the Unani system of healing. Around 100 students, lecturers and doctors attended the talk.

Dr. Maha Hashem said that there were similarities between Unani and Tibetan medicine in their concept of humors, actions, lifestyle and the elements.

Talk on Homoepathy MedicineDr. Carles Amengual from Spain gave a talk on Homeopathy medicine on 26 October, 2012. He gave a brief introduction on the history and the development of the system which was influenced from West and Greek medicine through the works of Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna who wrote canon of medicine an important book of western medicine etc. Hahnemann from Germany was not satisfied with western

medicine and so he began studying the classical works of medicine, decided to see patients and cure them. The term homeopathy was coined while translating the works of William Cullen’s Materia Medica, the chapter of cinchona officinalis (medicine) into German in 1796.

Hahnemann found that the substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure that disease in sick people.

Dr. Carles Amengual said that “the physician’s only mission is to restore the sick or cure patients. Second, the highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health”. So the physician should have the knowledge of disease, knowledge of medical power of drugs, the choice of remedy i.e medicine and the proper dose. When the physician knows these, he will have the understanding of how to treat judiciously and rationally.